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Alabama will begin its quest for an 18th national title on Aug. 31 when the Crimson Tide takes on Duke inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. To help pass the time until then, BamaInsider is answering 19 important questions concerning the 2019 season.
Today we continue the series by taking a look at some potential stumbling blocks Alabama could face this season.
Depth at linebacker
Alabama fans don’t need (and probably don’t want) to be reminded of the team’s injury history at the linebacker position over the past two seasons. However, for the sake of this article, here’s a list of all the linebackers who missed at least one games over that span.
2017
— Terrell Lewis (elbow): missed 10 games
— Christian Miller (biceps): missed 10 games
— Rashaan Evans (groin): missed two games
— Anfernee Jennings (ankle): missed two games
— Shaun Dion Hamilton (fractured knee cap): missed five games (season-ending).
— Mack Wilson (foot): missed two games
— Dylan Moses (foot): missed two games (season-ending)
2018
— Terrell Lewis (ACL): missed entire season
— Christopher Allen (ACL): missed entire season
— Christian Miller (Hamstring): missed one game (season-ending)
That’s 10 separate injuries in total. Break a mirror, walk under a ladder, run into a black cat, neglect to respond to one of those scary chain letters on social media. Those all induce far less bad luck than playing linebacker for Alabama.
That’s all the more reason to be concerned over Alabama’s lack of experienced depth at both inside and outside linebacker.
The Crimson Tide is already in somewhat of a bind trying to find someone to play alongside Dylan Moses at Will linebacker this season. An injury to the Butkus Award finalist would likely force Alabama to start long-time reserve Joshua McMillon beside a younger, inexperienced option such as freshman Shane Lee or sophomores Markail Benton, Ale Kaho and Jaylen Moody.
Things are a little bit better on the edge where the Crimson Tide returns Lewis and Jennings. If either of those two go down, the next two players up would seemingly be Eyabi Anoma and Christopher Allen. Both sophomores are talented pass rushers, but Anoma played in a limited role during his freshman year, while Allen saw action in just seven games in 2017 before sitting out all of last season due to injury.
Two big losses on the line
Replacing talent across the defensive line has become a rite of passage for Alabama in recent offseasons. Last year, there were questions over how the Crimson Tide would replace Daron Payne. Before that, it was Jonathan Allen, or A’Shawn Robinson and Jarran Reed. Alabama never missed a step.
While history, as well as a talented roster, suggests Alabama should continue its trend of reloading up front, doing so will still be a tall task. The Crimson Tide loses two of its three starting defensive linemen in Outland Trophy winner Quinnen Williams and Isaiah Buggs. The duo combined for 17.5 sacks and 33 tackles for a loss last season. To put that in perspective, the sacks were 38.8 percent of Alabama’s total, while the tackles for a loss made up 30.8 percent of the team’s final tally.
Alabama brings back a valuable starter in Raekwon Davis, who could very well be the next Crimson Tide lineman taken in the first round of the NFL Draft next year. LaBryan Ray should also finally get his opportunity to show his talents on a regular basis. It’s also worth noting that unlike last year, Alabama is better equipped to deal with the departures due to its depth after bringing in several talented defensive linemen in this year’s recruiting class.
Will this be the year Alabama’s losses on the line catch up to it? Probably not. However, as in year’s past, the problem is still worth monitoring.
A back-loaded schedule
At first glance, Alabama’s schedule doesn’t appear too daunting. Duke is a far step off from some of the neutral-site opponents the Crimson Tide has matched up against in recent years. Things are a bit underwhelming after that as well.
Alabama was tripped up in its last visit to South Carolina in 2010. However, this year’s meeting with the Gamecocks serves as the SEC opener, which should provide a nice wake-up call for the Crimson Tide.
A Week 6 trip to Texas A&M could prove tricky. However, a quirk in this year’s schedule allows both teams to have a bye week heading into the game. Alabama hasn’t lost a regular-season game in which its had an extra week to prepare since its infamous 9-6 overtime loss to LSU in 2011.
Chances are the meat of Alabama’s schedule will once again fall in the month of November as the Crimson Tide hosts LSU before traveling to Mississippi State and Auburn with a cupcake date with West Carolina in between. If Alabama makes it out of that, it will likely face another matchup with Georgia and then a possible trip to the College Football Playoff.
This offseason, former running back Josh Jacobs said Alabama was “mentally fatigued” by the time it faced Clemson in the national championship game last season. It will be interesting to see if the Crimson Tide can prevent the same scenario from playing out this season.
